23 September 2023 , 21:30
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Tomas Soucek has told Michail Antonio he needs to score the goals to ensure West Ham finish above Liverpool in the Premier League this season.
The Czech's remark comes in light of Antonio's recent comments on The Footballer's Football Podcast where he appeared to stir the pot ahead of Sunday's trip to Anfield.
Antonio took aim at Liverpool's first-half defensive frailty against Wolves before boldly claiming the Irons will finish higher than the Reds come the end of the campaign.
While Soucek hopes that is the case - he claims Antonio needs to back up his statement by delivering the goods on the pitch. The midfielder, who netted in the midweek 3-1 Europa League win over TSC Backa Topola, said: "Micky does lots of interviews that are funny and we just laugh about it!
"It's great that he has this show but in terms of what he is saying, it's something we need to follow through. If it ends up being true I will be very happy but he needs to score many goals to get us ahead of Liverpool."
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New arrival Mohammed Kudus excelled on his first West Ham start on Thursday, registering a goal and assist following his £38million summer transfer from Ajax.
The Ghanaian's eye-catching display is sure to provide David Moyes with a serious attacking headache ahead of his team's challenging trip to Merseyside. Competition is welcomed in the view of Soucek, who added: "It's good that we have options because it's not only about individuals.
Tomas Soucek wants to see more goals from Michail Antonio (PA)"We have nearly 20 players and it's a great squad now. Even if we have a few missing or we make a few changes - we are sometimes even better. It's great to have this squad and it's a big reason why we can be successful this season and even scare teams."
Liverpool are currently unbeaten in their last 14 Premier League home fixtures while West Ham are yet to taste defeat on the road this season after collecting seven points from trips to Bournemouth, Brighton and Luton, respectively.
The Irons have also lost their last three encounters against the Reds by a single goal after previously beating Jurgen Klopp's side 3-2 at the London Stadium in November 2021. Life after Declan Rice had initially looked bleak for the Irons but right-back Vladimir Coufal has claimed there is internal confidence the club are now stronger without their former captain.
When asked if that was the case, Soucek was in agreement with his compatriot, adding: "This team is a little bit different to the one it was before because of the quality of the players. It's one of the best we've ever had, I just hope we now prove it.
"Declan was a great player, I loved playing with him but now we have different types of players and that helps because of the different style of football that we play. We will see how it goes in the Premier League, hopefully, the results will show but I'm very happy with the squad."